Suspect paroled in March from rape conviction In latest incident, 2 girls assaulted by intruder

Michael James and Bruce ReidTHE BALTIMORE SUN

A man charged with sexually assaulting two children at their East Baltimore home Thursday had once been charged with molesting a 5-year-old girl and was recently paroled from prison after serving time for raping a young woman, court records show.

David Pierce, 36, of the 1400 block of N. Decker Ave., is charged with attempted murder, rape and attempted rape in the latest attack, in which two girls, ages 7 and 11, were assaulted while their mother wasn't home.

Police allege that Pierce went to the house, located in the 1400 block of Edison Highway, at 10 p.m. and kicked in the door when the children would not let him inside. The girls' mother was away at a nearby tavern at the time.

The attacker dragged the girls to the basement, where he raped the 11-year-old and stabbed her in the chest several times with a knife. He also bit her severely in the face and right arm, police said.

The man also forced the 7-year-old to perform a sex act, police said. At some point, the younger child escaped, ran outside and flagged down a motorist, who called police. Pierce was arrested a short time later at his home.

Pierce had been paroled March 12 after serving less than seven years of a 10-year rape sentence, said Susan Kaskie, a spokeswoman for the state parole division.

That conviction stemmed from an Aug. 1, 1982, attack in which Pierce and another man raped a woman underneath a bridge in the 1100 block of Fallsway in downtown Baltimore.

Pierce also punched the woman in the head and stole $1 from her, court records said.

Just two weeks earlier, the mother of a 5-year-old girl accused Pierce of sexually assaulting her daughter. The charges were dropped five days after Pierce was convicted of the other rape.

Concerning Thursday's incident, investigators said Pierce knew the children and their mother, who is a state correctional officer at a Baltimore pre-release center.

Pierce and the mother have known each other since childhood, police said.

A neighbor, Ruth Bailey, said that the neighborhood "is completely stressed out" about the attack. The two young girls who were assaulted, she said, often played outside and have always been pleasant to her.

"It's terrible. This a neighborhood of very good people," said Mrs. Bailey, who said she has lived there for 30 years. "I can't imagine who would do such a thing. We've always thought of this as a nice neighborhood, but now we're all a little concerned."

Another neighbor, William Brown, said, "Something should be done about this. They say they rehabilitate these criminals, but they don't. And because of that, innocent children get attacked."

According to court records of Pierce's 1982 conviction, he and another man grabbed the victim -- whose age was not listed -- from behind and dragged her under a bridge. They then raped her after threatening to cut her throat, the records said.

A City Jail guard on duty in a tower nearby witnessed the abduction and called police, who arrested Pierce and the other man after a brief search.

On Dec. 1, 1982, Pierce pleaded guilty to second-degree rape and was sentenced to 10 years.

Court records also show that Pierce was arrested July 13, 1982, and charged with committing perverted sex acts on a 5-year-old girl who went to see him at his home.

The child's mother told police she was concerned because many neighborhood children were friendly with Pierce and would go to his house, court records said.

He was living at the time near Hillsdale Park in Northwest Baltimore.

Pierce was being held last night at the Eastern District lockup pending a bail review hearing.